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Iran and Persecuted Christians

Like the North Korean issue, I have two reasons to be concerned about Iran. First, as a sailor, Iran has been a thorn in the US Navy's side for several years, and I have sailed within sight of Iranian Navy ships often in my career. But more importantly Iran is a country that actively persecutes Christians. Somewhere around 85 Christians were arrested in Iran in 2009, according to the Open Doors website. Furthermore, several churches have been closed down and believers report discrimination and surveillance. Christians are not allowed to preach in Farsi either, the official language in Iran. Not being able to preach in thier native language means that it's more difficult to reach out and witness to others, this is written on Voice of the Martyrs website.

Iran is an understood. The government is belligerent, uncaring, and determined to ruin whatever they can. I know there are many who are praying that Iran will change, from the inside, from the outside, or however else the country needs to change. I would sound like a broken record if I repeated my call from last week for Iran's fall, but I would like to see it. The difference, perhaps, is that I don't think Iran's fall would equate to the type of church growth that I think we'd see if North Korea fell.

If Iran fell, her people would still be, by and large, Muslim. If North Korea fell, suddenly the god of her people (the great leader) would no longer be. Now, in Japan this brought about a largely secular, non-religious society. However, comparing Iran to North Korea, I believe North Korea falling would equal more church growth than Iran falling.

That doesn't mean we shouldn't pray for Iran to fall. It's just that while we're doing that, we should also pray for the strength of the believers who are there now. Pray for strength, and pray for a blind eye on the part of the government. See either of the two links for more information.